Do you want to see ‘Ghostbusters’?

Ghostbusters (1984)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.7/10
Reviews Counted: 52
Fresh: 49 | Rotten: 3

An infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray's hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns.

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 2

An infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray's hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns.

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 949,269

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson star as a quartet of Manhattan-based "paranormal investigators". When their government grants run out, the former three go into business as The Ghostbusters, later hiring Hudson on. Armed with electronic paraphernalia, the team is spectacularly successful, ridding The Big Apple of dozens of ghoulies, ghosties and long-legged beasties. Tight-lipped bureaucrat William Atherton regards the Ghostbusters as a bunch of charlatans, but is forced

PG, 1 hr. 45 min.

Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

Directed By: Ivan Reitman

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1984 Wide

On DVD: Jun 29, 1999

Columbia Pictures

Ghostbusters Trailer & Photos

Cast

Bill Murray
Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd
Raymond Stantz
Sigourney Weaver
Dana Barrett
Harold Ramis
Egon Spengler
Ernie Hudson
Winston Zeddmore
Rick Moranis
Louis Tully/The Key Mas...
Annie Potts
Janine Melnitz
William Atherton
Walter Peck
David Margulies
Mayor
Steven Tash
Student
Slavitza Jovan
Gozer
Michael Ensign
Hotel Manager
Alice Drummond
Librarian
Timothy Carhart
Violinist
Jordan Charney
Dean Yeager
Joe Cirillo
Police Captain
Patty Dworkin
Woman at Party
Paddi Edwards
Gozer (uncredited)
Joe Franklin
Himself
Rhoda Gemignani
Real Estate Woman
Roger Grimsby
Himself
Stanley Grover
Reporter
Kymberly Herrin
Dream Ghost
Tommy Hollis
Mayor's Aide
Reginald VelJohnson
Jail Guard
Casey Kasem
Himself
Jean Kasem
Tall Woman at Party
Larry King
Himself
Ric Mancini
Cop at Apartment
Norman Matlock
Fire Commissioner
Tom McDermott
Archbishop
Eda Reiss Merin
Louis' Neighbor
Jason Reitman
Birthday party kid
John Ring
Fire Commissioner
John Rothman
Library Administrator
Murray Rubin
Man at Elevator
Jennifer Runyon
Jennifer
Danny Stone
Coachman
James Hardie
Reporter
Carol Henry
Reporter
Sam Moses
Hot Dog Vendor
Frances E. Nealy
Chambermaid
Frantz Turner
Reporter
Ruth Oliver
Library Ghost
Larry Dilg
Con Edison Man
Winston May
Businessman Vendor
Christopher Wynkoop
TV Reporter
Bill Couch
Stunt Coordinator
Nancy Kelly
Reporter

Critic Reviews for Ghostbusters

All Critics (53) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (3) | DVD (32)

Whoever thought of having evil's final manifestation take the form of a 100-ft. marshmallow deserves the rational mind's eternal gratitude.

October 5, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment (1)

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

Only intermittently impressive.

May 30, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comments (14)

Variety

Top Critic

Essentially a $30 million version of Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy but not at all a bad time, thanks mainly to Bill Murray's incredibly dry line readings and director Ivan Reitman's maintenance of a moderately coherent tone and plotline.

May 30, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comments (2)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

This movie is an exception to the general rule that big special effects can wreck a comedy.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

There is more attention to special effects than to humor.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comments (24)

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

"Ghostbusters" is a fun romp with a couple of comedy's greatest stars at the top of their game.

February 26, 2012 Full Review Source: MediaMikes

| Comment

Michael A. Smith

MediaMikes

As funny, spooky and marvellous as ever.

November 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Digital Spy

| Comment

Ben Rawson-Jones

Digital Spy

It provoked huge box-office success in 1984 and is still director Ivan Reitman's defining movie.

October 31, 2011 Full Review Source: This is London

| Comment

Derek Malcolm

This is London

The leads' chemistry is almost, well, spooky, Dan Aykroyd's nerdy enthusiasm rubbing deliciously against a persona-perfecting turn from Bill Murray - and there's even the odd surprise.

October 28, 2011 Full Review Source: Total Film

| Comment

Andrew Lowry

Total Film

The often dazzling, special effects-driven slapstick tends to overshadow the fact that there are some slyer, more sophisticated laughs on offer in this blockbusting family comedy.

October 27, 2011 Full Review Source: Radio Times

| Comment

John Ferguson

Radio Times

What's not to like?

October 27, 2011 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment

Andrew Pulver

Guardian [UK]

Paranormal fun for tweens and up; some scares.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Alex Orner

Common Sense Media

A comedy first, a horror film second... but a successful enough hybrid of those things that it would be wrong to try to limit it generically.

August 26, 2010 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy

| Comment

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Ghostbusters, whaddya want?!

August 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

The movie's tongue-in-cheek (and pre-subprime) satire of surging capitalist hubris is scarcely mitigated by the necessary fairy-tale ending.

August 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

This is one of the best comedy-horror spoofs ever made. The Double Feature Gift set DVD released in 2005 is basically a repackaging of the previously issued single-disc DVD, plus the sequel. The set has some nice features but it is not quite a must-have.

June 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinefantastique

| Comment

Steve Biodrowski

Cinefantastique

All the pieces still come together nicely 25 years after Ghostbusters raked in more than $238 million at the box office.

June 7, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Stuffed with wisecracking, punning and essential deadpanning care of the film's most notable star performer Murray (who has such delivery down as a fine art), the film also packs in a half-decent narrative.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Daniel Etherington

Film4

See website for more details.

March 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Screen It!

| Comment

Rory L. Aronsky

Screen It!

Fantastic all the way

March 2, 2008 Comment

Stefan Birgir Stefansson

sbs.is

With his deadpan delivery and snide quips, Murray more than holds his own amid the myriad state-of-the-art special effects.

May 30, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Ghostbusters

View All

Ghostbusters has got to be one of the most inventive, and original comedies in a long time. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script to this awesome comedy sci fi horror gem. In the process they created something refreshing and ingenious. Ghostbusters can now be seen as a classic, there are so many things that are

June 9, 2010

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

Who ya gonna call?

June 15, 2011

Alexander Diminiano

Super Reviewer

Ghostbusters Quotes

View All

1. Peter Venkman: Yes it's true. This man has no dick.
– Submitted by Jackson L (26 days ago)
1. Peter Venkman: Generally you don't see that kind of behavior in a major appliance.
– Submitted by bob j (43 days ago)
1. Peter Venkman: Nervous?
2. Student: Uh, ya.
3. Peter Venkman: Well we only have 75 more to go.
– Submitted by Daniel R (3 months ago)
1. Winston Zeddmore: Ray. If someone asks if you are a god, you say, 'yes!'
– Submitted by Rocky F (3 months ago)
1. Peter Venkman: [referring to Gozer] Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.
– Submitted by Kris R (3 months ago)

Submit a Quote from 'Ghostbusters'

A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.

Example:

Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.